The Senate Commerce Committee holds a hearing this afternoon on S. 3302, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, legislation introduced in the wake of the Toyota recalls. We look at Title III and wonder which trial lawyer wrote these provisions?

A database of public complaints, legal protection for people making accusations -- founded or unfounded -- an entire government infrastructure designed to promote the claims that motor vehicles are dangerous and manufacturers are legally liable. It's as if a congressional staffer took the early drafts of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, rubbed out a few words, and filled in the blanks with "motor vehicles."